


Hold My Hand

by amandapanda425



Category: Charmed (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:33:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25835806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amandapanda425/pseuds/amandapanda425
Summary: Macy volunteers to help Maggie with the Homecoming blood drive. Harry is trying to get over his fear of needles. Mel and Maggie decide to play matchmaker.
Relationships: Harry Greenwood/Macy Vaughn, Niko Hamada/Mel Vera
Comments: 36
Kudos: 88





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #4: Hold My Hand
> 
> I wanted to go back and get some of the prompts I missed earlier. Here is a tooth-rotting, fluffy meet cute. Please leave a comment if you liked it!

It was the first day of the annual Homecoming Blood Drive and Macy was regretting everything. Kappa was put in charge of making sure there were enough phlebotomists for the anticipated turnout, so Maggie convinced Macy and the other lab technicians to help out for the day. Damn Macy’s inability to say no to Maggie’s pout. Five hours in, Macy was exhausted. Somehow, Macy kept getting the extremely dehydrated, hungover freshmen with the tiniest veins possible.

“Pick your right or left arm. Make sure your sleeve is rolled up above your elbow. Is this your first time-?” Macy asked, gathering the supplies for her next donor. When Macy looked up, she was expecting to see another 18-year-old freshman sitting in front of her. Instead, she was face to face with one of the most gorgeous men she had ever seen.

“I’ll do my left arm. And yes, this is my first time giving blood,” the man said, with a slight blush. “Truthfully, I’m utterly petrified of needles. But one of my students convinced me to offer a few points of extra credit for anyone who came to donate blood and I thought I should make the sacrifice alongside them.”

“Well, that was very kind of you. What’s your name?”

“Harry. Professor Harry Greenwood. I’m the chair of the Women’s Studies Department.”

“Nice to meet you, Harry. I’m Dr. Macy Vaughn. I’ll do my best to make this painless as possible. I just need to get the tourniquet tied around your arm. Have you had any water today?”

“Erm, yes. I read online that would make it easier on me.”

“It will. The more hydrated you are, the easier your veins are for me to find. It looks like you’ve got a nice thick vein right inside your elbow. This shouldn’t hurt a bit. Do you want me to warn you before I stick the needle in or just go for it?”

“Well, I suppose a bit of warning might be…” Harry said, stopping suddenly, as he looked down and saw the needle already in his arm.

“Trick question. The warning always makes it worse,” Macy said, smiling at him until she noticed the color completely drain from his face. “Oh no, Harry. Harry, look at me. Here, hold my hand.” Macy reached down and grabbed his left hand. “Don’t look at the needle. Just focus on me.”

He grasped her hand and stared into her gorgeous brown eyes, forgetting where he was for a second. His eyes started to refocus and his breathing went back to a normal pace.

“So pretty,” he said, under his breath.

“I’m sorry?” she asked, not certain if she correctly heard what he had said.

“I said, so painless. I was dreading this whole experience, but you have made the sacrifice so painless.” he said, trying to recover.

She smiled to herself. She was fairly certain that was not what he had said, but she would go along with it.

“Yes, well. That’s why they pay me the big bucks. By which I mean, my little sister took my dish duty for a month in order to get all the lab techs here,” she joked as she capped the bag of blood and removed the tourniquet. If her fingers lingered over his arm for just a few minutes as she placed his Band-Aid, neither of them were going to say anything about it. “You can sit here for a few minutes until you feel ready to get up. Then they’ve got ice cream and water for all the donors.”

“Any chance you can sit with me for a minute while I sort myself out?” he asked, hoping she would stay for just a few moments longer.

Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Just at that moment, Maggie came rushing over with her clipboard.

“Hey, Mace. Galvin just went on his break. Can you go over and help Troy with unboxing some more supplies? We’ve got way more donors than I expected,” Maggie said, just stopping for a second to look up from her notes. “Oh hey, Professor Greenwood! You came to donate, too!”

“Hello, Maggie. Yes, well, your arguments for why we all needed to donate were very persuasive. I would not want to ask anything of my students I would not do myself,” Harry said, trying not to glare daggers at his student.

“This is your student who convinced you to give the extra credit?” Macy said, starting to laugh. “I know what you mean about her powers of persuasion. Who do you think is doing my dishes for the next month?”

“Ah, Maggie is your sister. What a small world. That must mean you are also related to Mel,” he said, smiling at Macy.

“That I am. You’ve officially met all the Vera-Vaughn sisters. As far as we know anyway. Well, Harry, it was a pleasure to meet you. I have to go help out Troy. How are you feeling? Any lightheadedness? Dizziness? Nausea?”

“None of the above,” he said. “I will take my leave and let you get on with the rest of your day. Thank you again, Dr. Vaughn.” He reached out to shake her hand, hoping for just a few seconds more of contact with her.

“Of course, Professor Greenwood,” Macy said, holding the handshake longer than was necessary.

“Macy! Come on,” Maggie yelled from the other side of the room.

As Macy walked to the other side of the room, Harry took one last glance at her before going to get his pint of ice cream. He desperately wanted to get her phone number or some way to contact her, but he would not want to do anything that could be considered harassment while she was working. Surely someone that stunning was taken, anyway. His lingering glance was definitely noted by someone, however.

* * *

Later that evening at the Vera house, Maggie fixed ice cream sundaes for her and her sisters. “So, Macy. Anything interesting happen at the blood drive today?” Maggie said, starting to formulate her plan of attack.

“You mean besides the fact that I think half the freshman class was dehydrated and hungover, making it impossible to get a good stick on the first try?” Macy responded.

“I was talking more about the Women’s Studies professor who couldn’t take his eyes off of you?” Maggie teased, taking a bite of her sundae.

“Wait? Which Women’s Studies professor?” Mel said, wanting to get in on the gossip. “Most of them are way more my type than yours, so it only leaves a couple of possibilities.”

“Maggie, you’re delusional. Professor Greenwood was simply nervous about donating blood. That was all,” she said, convincing herself her sister was reading too much into the situation.

“Uh huh, that’s why he looked like he wanted to stab me when I walked over and interrupted the two of you,” Maggie said.

“He did not. He was nervous over being stuck with a needle,” Macy argued.

“And that’s why you two had the longest handshake in the history of the world. Tell me, Mel. You donated blood earlier. Did you shake your technician’s hand and stare longingly into their eyes?” she said, enjoying herself immensely.

“You know, Maggie. I cannot say that I did. Macy, did you shake the hands of everyone you stuck with a needle today?” Mel said, joining in on the glee over her older sister’s discomfort.

“He’s British. British people are always very polite and formal,” Macy said, starting to blush slightly.

“Say Mel, do you happen to know if Professor Greenwood is single?” Maggie asked.

“He did not bring a date to the last faculty mixer, so I would say odds are good he is single,” Mel said.

“I cannot believe you are encouraging this, Mel. Wasn’t he the one you were ranting about when he took over the department?” Macy said.

“That was before I actually got to know him. I’m still not super enthused about a cis male in charge of the department, but he knows his stuff. I could probably try to get you his number if you wanted me to,” she said, continuing to eat her sundae.

“No, no. I mean, I don’t think that’s necessary. I’m certain he was just being polite. Really, please don’t bring it up to him,” Macy said, faltering slightly. “I mean, unless he said something and then I guess it would be okay.”

“Oh, only if he says something?” Maggie asked, knowing she was wearing down her sister.

“He’s not going to say anything. I’m sure he’s forgotten all about me by now. Anyway, I’m going to bed. Another long day of sticking needles into people tomorrow,” Macy said, trying to get away from the situation as quickly as possible.

“Okay, if you say so, Mace,” Mel said, glancing at Maggie while they waited for Macy to get out of earshot. “Okay, tell me the truth. Are we setting this up or what?”

“Oh, absolutely. Professor Greenwood was flushed and stammering and I know that was not just due to the pint of blood we had taken. Macy just kept giving him this shy smile. They were both fully into each other,” Maggie told Mel.

* * *

“Alright, class. Your two-page reflection on the role of the patriarchy in reality dating shows is due to Blackboard by midnight on Tuesday. In other words, if you’re waiting for tonight’s episode of The Bachelor in order to even start thinking about this assignment, you’ll still have plenty of time to write your paper,” Harry said, as his Intro to Women’s Studies class packed up their belongings.

As the students left the room, Maggie walked over to Harry. “Professor Greenwood? I just wanted to thank you again for donating blood last week. I know the hospital really appreciated all the donations they got,” Maggie said.

“Of course, Ms. Vera. I had to get over my fear of needles at some point,” he responded.

“Oh, and hey, can I just say how psyched I am to have a class where my homework is to watch television? This class is quickly becoming my favorite. I mean, I watch The Bachelor every week with my sister Macy anyway. You met Macy at the blood drive, right?”

“Yes, I do believe I made her acquaintance. And I find enough students reference television in their papers, anyway. I’m glad to have made the assignment a little easier on you,” he said, eying her suspiciously.

“Well, I’m on my way to meet Macy for some coffee. That’s one thing to know about my sister. She loves coffee. And talking about the patriarchy. Not as much as Mel does, but get her started on a good rant and there’s no stopping her.”

“Yes, well. Please do give my regards to your sister. She seems like a very lovely person,” he said, hoping he was catching on to her plan.

“Oh, I will. Any other message to pass along to her?” she said, trying to give him an opening.

“None that I can think of at the moment. I do hope our paths will cross again, though,” he said, hoping he was subtle enough that she could catch on this meaning, but not so obvious in case he was wrong about her intention.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Harry was sitting in his office grading papers when Mel walked into the room.

“Hi Harry, do you have a couple minutes to talk about my thesis proposal?” she said, sitting on the couch across from his desk.

“Of course, Mel. What were you thinking of researching? I know you’ve been bouncing around a few different ideas.”

“I was thinking of going in a radically different direction. I was talking with my sister Macy about the structural sexism present in higher education, particularly the STEM fields. I can’t recall. Have you met my sister, Macy? She’s a doctor here on campus,” she said.

“Ah yes, I do believe I met her at the blood drive last week. This seems very different from your other areas of research. Are you certain about this?” he said, now certain he was being somewhat played by the Vera sisters.

“Well, I mean, there’s so much to focus on in this area. How young girls tend to be deterred from the STEM fields. The gender pay gaps in laboratories. Macy has so much to say about this topic and it really got me to thinking. Have you ever had a conversation about this topic with anyone, say over dinner one night?” she said.

“I can’t say that I have,” he said, trying not to start laughing at the blatantly obvious matchmaking attempt.

“Any conversations about the patriarchy over dinner with a significant other?” she said, prodding for more information.

“No, no conversations about the patriarchy with any significant others for quite some time,” he responded.

“How would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow night? Macy has so many opinions about this field. I think you would really enjoy talking with her some about it.”

“I am always up for a good conversation about the patriarchy, I guess. Shall I bring some wine?” he said.

“Red wine would be perfect. We’ll see you tomorrow night around eight,” she said, writing down her address for him. “See you then.”

As Mel walked out the door, Harry could only laugh to himself. The Vera sisters were nothing if not persistent, but he was reassured that perhaps Macy was as interested in him as he was in her.

* * *

The next evening around 7:30, Maggie came rushing into Macy’s room.

“Hey, Mace. I thought we could have a fancy dinner night tonight? You know like we used to do growing up? Have a nice candlelit dinner and put on nice clothes?” Maggie said, going straight to Macy’s closet.

“I don’t think we ever did that. What are you talking about?” Macy said, completely confused.

“Oh, must have been something I saw on TV. Well, let’s try it out tonight and see how we like it. I think you should wear this gorgeous green dress. It’ll really pop against your skin.” She threw the dress at Macy.

“Why do I need a dress to pop against my skin in order to have dinner with you and Mel?” Macy said, catching the dress. “Maggie, what did you do?”

“You’ll thank me for it later. Put on the dress and fix your make-up. We’ll see you downstairs,” she said, running out of the room.

Macy got dressed as Maggie instructed and walked down the stairs just as she heard a knock at the door.

“Hey Macy, will you get the door?” Mel yelled from the kitchen. “I’m pulling dinner out of the oven and Maggie’s in here helping me.”

Macy opened the door to see Harry standing on the other side with a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers. “Oh, Professor Greenwood. How nice to see you at my house, completely unexpectedly.”

“You had no idea about any of this, did you?” he said, smiling. “These are for you as a thank you for inviting me over,” He handed her the white roses.

“The thing is, I really should have known to expect this. Please, come in. What brings you here tonight?” she said, opening the door further to allow him in.

“I believe the pretense was dinner and a discussion of patriarchy in the STEM field. You look lovely tonight. Do you always get dressed up for dinner with your sisters?”

“I was told we were trying Fancy Dinner Night like we used to have as kids, which we never had.”

Just at that moment, Mel and Maggie came running into the living room.

“Hi, Professor Greenwood. I totally forgot I have a Kappa meeting tonight. Gotta go!” Maggie said, running out the door.

“And I forgot I have a shift at The Haunt. Dinner’s on the table. Enjoy yourselves. We’ll both be back late,” Mel said, following Maggie out the door.

Macy and Harry stopped to look at each other, before bursting out in laughter.

“My sisters could never claim to be subtle. I apologize for them. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want,” she said, hoping he would ignore her and stay for dinner.

“Nonsense. Like you said, your sisters are not at all subtle. I figured this was their plan all along. I’d love to join you for dinner. Truthfully, I have been kicking myself for the past week that I didn’t get some way to contact you after the blood drive,” he said.

“I’ve been wishing I had your contact information as well. I was this close to “surprising” Maggie with coffee after your class, but I didn’t want to be overzealous.”

“It would have been very much welcomed,” he said, with a shy smile. “Well, shall we eat?” He put out his arm for her to take.

She took his arm and led him into the dining room. Four hours later, the sisters returned home to find Macy and Harry still sitting at the dining room table, laughing with each other. Harry’s hand rested on Macy’s arm and he was looking at her as if she hung the moon. She was beaming at him like he was the only person in the world. Maggie and Mel pretended to ignore the two as he gently kissed Macy goodnight on the front porch. And they definitely didn’t say anything as that goodnight kiss turned into two and three and then fifteen.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #1: Put your pants on & Prompt #16: You better sleep with one eye open is all I'm saying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to go back and hit another of the prompts I had missed in addition to today's prompt. Please note the rating change!

Macy was standing at the stove, cooking a jambalaya. She got the stew to simmer as her phone chimed with an incoming text. She looked at her phone and started to smile.

“Ooh, that smells good. Is that for us?” Maggie asked, a teasing lilt to her voice.

“No, Harry’s coming over for dinner, so I’m cooking tonight,” Macy said, starting to blush. She went back to looking at her phone and typed a response to the text.

“That makes this, what, your fourth date in three weeks? And you’re breaking out your fancy jambalaya recipe? And did I see stuff for bread pudding soaking in that bowl over there?” she asked, jumping up onto the counter. “Seems to be moving pretty quickly. Mel and I will take that thank you for setting you up any time. Not that you’re listening to a word I’m saying right now.”

“Sorry, what was that?” she said, putting the phone down.

“I said, it seems like things are going well between you and Professor Greenwood, so you can thank Mel and I however you would like. You know I prefer my gratitude in the form of cash or new clothes,” she said, smiling at her older sister.

“While I do not typically condone your meddling in my life, I will admit that I’m very grateful in this one particular instance,” she said, reluctantly. “He’s just so perfect for me in all the right ways.”

Maggie jumped off the counter and pulled her sister in for a hug, squealing slightly. “I knew it from the way he looked at you at the blood drive. That type of chemistry cannot be faked,” she said. “So, you’ve had four dates now?”

“Yep, tonight is number four.”

“So...how far have you gotten? Do Mel and I need to make ourselves scarce tonight?”

Macy blushed. “Not that it’s any of your business, but Harry has been a perfect gentleman. We’re taking things slow. If you wanted to make yourself scarce, that is your choice.”

“Well, lucky for you, Mel is spending the night at Niko’s house. I have a shift at the restaurant and then there’s a Kappa party afterwards. So, you and Harry can take things as slow as you would like all night long,” she said, loving to get a rise out of her sister.

“Okay, we’re changing the subject. Plus, he’s still one of your teachers,” Macy said, turning back to the stove.

“Only for a few more weeks. And I have already seen you make out with him once, so that kind of killed any potential weirdness.”

“I’m still not talking about this with you. Now, I have to put this in the oven and go get ready. You, go get ready for work.”

“Ugh, fine. You’re no fun at all. Seriously, I tell you everything about my relationships.”

“And yet, I don’t ask for any of that information ever. Funny how that seems to work.” Macy said as she walked out of the kitchen and headed upstairs to finish getting ready.

She changed into her favorite green and white polka dot halter dress and refreshed her eye make-up. She told Maggie that she and Harry were taking things slow, which was the truth. On their second date, Macy told him that she did not have much experience sexually. She had only ever slept with her college boyfriend. There had been some drunken makeouts at clubs, but she never felt comfortable with the idea of a one-night stand. He reassured her they could take things as slowly as she wanted. At the time, she felt relieved. With every passing day, however, she wanted to speed things up. She pulled her hair back and looked at herself in the mirror. She was determined to seduce Harry Greenwood tonight.

She went back to the kitchen to check on her jambalaya. She got the bread pudding ready to go in the oven as soon as the stew was finished. She heard a knock at the door and went to answer. Harry was on the other side with a bottle of wine and a bouquet of red roses.

“You look beautiful,” he said, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. “I brought a nice riesling to go with dinner tonight. And of course, these are for you.” He handed her the roses.

“Harry, they’re gorgeous. You know you don’t need to bring me flowers for every date,” she said, secretly hoping he would ignore her request. She walked toward the kitchen and pulled out a vase from the cabinet.

“I know I don’t need to. But I want to,” he said, following her. “It smells wonderful in here.”

“Thank you. We’ve got my grandmother’s famous jambalaya recipe and some cornbread. I’m just getting ready to put a bread pudding in the oven, so we’ll have a nice warm dessert afterwards.”

“You’re beautiful and you can cook,” he said, putting his arms around her from behind. “Plus, you’re a brilliant scientist. Is there anything you can’t do?”

“Most team sports,” she said, giggling and turning to face him. “I’m total shit at anything involving throwing, catching, or hitting a ball.”

“That would be another thing we have in common,” he said. “Can I help you with anything?”

“Do you want to open up the wine and pour a glass for each of us? Let me just give the stew a final stir and we’ll be ready to go.”

He poured the wine as she brought the food over to the table. Maggie popped her head into the kitchen.

“Hey, Harry. Glad to see you again outside of class,” Maggie said, waving at her professor.

“Nice to see you as well, Maggie,” he said.

“I’m heading to work and then I’ll be out at that Kappa party afterwards. I probably won’t be back until super late. You two have fun. Please, Macy, do stuff I would do,” she said, with an exaggerated wink, getting in one last chance to tease her sister before leaving for the evening.

“Bye, Maggie. You’re going to be late for work,” Macy said, with gritted teeth. She had a slight blush on her cheeks. The couple could hear Maggie laughing as she walked out the door.

“What was that all about?” he asked as they started eating.

“Oh, you know. Just standard sister stuff. So, how have your classes been this week?” she said, changing the subject.

Harry started telling Macy about the abysmal essays he had to grade for his Intro to Women’s Studies class and sharing some of the worst writing examples. She laughed and shared a story about an experiment gone terribly wrong in the lab. He asked more about her research and seemed genuinely interested, despite not having a great understanding of genetics.

After about an hour, she got up to pull the dessert out of the oven.

“It has to rest for ten minutes before we can eat it. Shall we kill this bottle of wine?” she asked, getting up to clear the table.

“Sounds wonderful,” he said, pouring the rest of the wine into their glasses. “Here, let me help you with all this. You spent all this time on this delicious meal. The least I can do is load the dishwasher for you.”

“I definitely would not object to that,” she said, laughing. “I’ll get out some ice cream to go with the pudding.”

Ten minutes later, they sat down at the table with their wine and desserts.

“Shall we have a toast?” he said.

“What are we toasting to?” she asked.

“How about to blood drives and meddling sisters?” he said, tilting his glass to clink against hers.

“And to getting over your fear of needles?”

“Absolutely.”

The two continued to talk and flirt their way through dessert. She shared some embarrassing stories of her younger sisters, while he told her about growing up in England. After dinner, they went into the living room.

“What would you like to do next?” he asked her as they sat down on the couch. “We could find something on Netflix or play a board game.”

“I don’t want to watch TV or play a board game,” she said, turning towards him.

“Okay, then what would you like to do tonight?” he said, reaching over to brush a stray curl behind her ear.

“I know we said we would take things slow, but what if we wanted to start speeding things up a bit?” she asked, biting her lower lip.

His pupils began to dilate and he took in a quick breath.

“I told you we could go as fast or as slow as you would like, love,” he said, his voice deepening. “All you have to do is say the word.” He leaned in to kiss her.

As soon as Harry’s lips hit hers, Macy opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. The two began to kiss feverishly, each trying to pull the other as close as possible. He broke the kiss after a moment and began to kiss along her neck. She let out a soft moan and moved to straddle him. She could feel him hardening against her.

“Macy, you feel so amazing, love,” he said, running his hands down her back until he reached her bottom. He bunched up the bottom of her dress as she ground down against him.

“Mmm, Harry,” she said as she started to unbutton his shirt. She pushed the shirt off his shoulders, leaving him in just a white undershirt. She leaned in to kiss down his neck as she untucked the undershirt and pulled it over his head. She pulled herself off her lap and kissed down his chest, alternating between open-mouthed kisses and soft bites against his chest and stomach. She knelt down on the ground and reached for his belt buckle.

“Are you sure, Macy,” he asked, putting his hands over hers. “We don’t have to do this tonight if you’re not ready.”

“Please, Harry. I just want to make you feel good,” she said, looking up at him. “Trust me, I’m ready.”

She unbuckled his pants. She pushed his pants and boxer briefs down, freeing his hardened cock. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Harry before sinking her mouth over him. She took about half of him into her mouth and placed her hands around the rest. He threw his head back against the couch and moaned. It took all his willpower not to thrust up into her mouth. He felt her flick her tongue across his tip before trying to pull more of him into her mouth. She moaned and the vibration almost made him lose control completely. He knew she said she had not had much experience, but she was an absolute natural at giving head. He felt his orgasm start to approach and he pulled her up.

She gave him a worried look. “Was I doing something wrong?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“No, Macy, trust me. You were doing everything right. I was just getting close and I didn’t want to cum in your mouth,” he said. “Besides, I think it’s my turn now. Unless you’re not okay with that.”

“Oh, I’m very okay with that,” she assured him as he leaned her back against the arm of the couch.

He pulled down her underwear and slowly kissed up the inside of her thighs. Every time she thought he was going to put his mouth where she wanted it, he would switch sides. Macy let out a frustrated whine.

“Patience, love,” he said, chuckling. “I’m in no rush tonight. I want to savor this as much as I possibly can.”

He placed feather soft kisses along her labia. He touched just the tip of his tongue to her clit before pulling away. He ran his finger along Macy’s opening.

“You’re absolutely soaked,” he said, awe in his voice. He put his lips around her clit and lightly sucked. She arched off the couch, letting out a loud moan. Her college boyfriend had never been willing to go down on her, so this was her first experience with it. If the foreplay felt this good, she didn’t know if she would survive sex with him. She reached her hands into his hair as he inserted one finger in her. He alternated between fast flicks of his tongue against her clit and slow thrusts of his finger inside her. He added a second finger, starting to spread her apart. As he added a third finger, he sucked her clit deeply and Macy came apart.

“Omigod, Harry,” she yelled. He could feel her screams vibrating throughout her body as he continued to drink her in. She was so loud he thought he could hear all around the room.

“Omigod! Put your pants on!” He heard a scream that most decidedly did not come from Macy.

Macy sat bolt upright and screamed. Harry lost his balance and fell against the floor. He hurriedly tried to put his pants back on, which was not easy as he was almost painfully hard.

“Maggie! What the fuck are you doing here?” Macy screamed, pushing her dress back down over her legs.

Maggie was standing with her back to the couple, shielding her eyes.

“I spilled something on myself at work and I wanted to clean up before I went to the Kappa party. I’m sorry, I didn’t think I’d come home to my teacher eating you out on our sofa,” Maggie said, her voice rising an octave.

“You said repeatedly that you wouldn’t be home tonight!” Macy yelled back.

“Yeah, well. You have a bedroom that has a bed in it. Forgive me if I thought you would keep any sexual activities out of the communal living spaces!”

“Omigod, just go.” Macy yelled, putting her hands over her face.

Maggie ran upstairs, slamming her door shut.

Harry sat on the couch next to Macy, who had yet to take her hands off of her face.

“Did one of my students just see my bare ass?” he asked, mortified. She looked over at him and burst out laughing.

“Omigod, Harry. I’m sorry. It’s so not funny. I was just so mortified my sister caught us that I forgot she’s your student,” she said, laughing hysterically to the point she was starting to cry.

“Yes, well. I’m not quite ready to laugh about this just yet, but I’m glad you’re so amused,” he said, his entire face beet red.

Maggie stomped back downstairs, her hands covering her eyes. “Okay, I’m really leaving for the night now. Just please, stay out of the areas where Mel and I have to also sit,” she said, her back to the couple.

“Maggie, you can turn around. We’re both mostly clothed again,” Macy said.

“Nope. I can’t do that. I don’t think I can ever look at either of you ever again. I’m going to go drink a lot of alcohol and try to purge this image from my memory,” she said as she ran out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

“Well, I think that sufficiently killed the mood tonight,” Harry said, running his hands over his face.

“Unfortunately, I think you’re right. I’m so sorry. You took so much time with me and you didn’t get to finish,” Macy said, her eyebrows furrowed together.

“It’s perfectly alright, love. There’s plenty of time for that in the future. Once your sister came in, that pretty much killed it for me. I should probably be heading home.”

“Okay,” she said, disappointed. “You know you can stay, right? You don’t have to rush off.”

“I know. I would love nothing more than to stay here with you, but if I don’t leave now, I won’t be able to leave later. And I don’t think Maggie or I are ready for conversation around the breakfast table any time soon.”

“I understand. Before we got interrupted, though, it was good, right?” she asked, worried she might have done something to disappoint Harry.

“Before we got interrupted, it was bloody fantastic,” he said, pulling her head against his shoulder. “I cannot wait for the next time when we can finish what we started. Was it good for you?”

“It was perfect, Harry. No one has ever gone down on me before. I told you I’ve only ever had one serious boyfriend and he always said he thought that was disgusting,” she said, tilting her face away from him.

“Well, he sounds like an absolute idiot who is missing out on the greatest experience in the world. Seriously, Macy, I cannot wait to get to continue what we started later. I’ll be savoring your taste until we can see each other again.” he said, putting his finger under her chin to turn her face back toward his.

She leaned in to softly kiss him. She could taste her juices on his lips. She never thought that could be such a turn on for her. Both moved to deepen the kiss before he pulled away.

“As much as I want to stay here, I really should leave for the night,” he said. “Though with every passing moment, I’m forgetting why that is the case.”

He moved to stand up. He buttoned his shirt back up and pulled Macy up from the couch.

“We will continue this soon, though, love. I promise,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. She walked him to the door and gave him one last lingering kiss goodnight.

* * *

The next week, Harry was walking into his classroom. He reached the doorway at the same time as Maggie. They both stopped in their tracks and evaded eye contact.

“Yes, well, after you, Ms. Vera,” he said, stepping back to let her enter the classroom.

“After what I’ve seen, Harry, I think you can call me Maggie,” she said, walking into the room. “And just know that in the future, that couch is off limits. I can never sit on it ever again. I used to love taking naps on that couch. You have ruined that for me.”

“Understood,” he said, still looking up over her head.

“And just know that if you hurt my sister in any way, I will break you. You better sleep with one eye open is all I’m saying.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to get a nice long chapter out for today. I've got a 56-hour work week ahead of me, so don't know how many of this week's prompts I'll get to. 
> 
> Macy's dress: https://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/betsey-johnson-the-very-dot-of-you-satin-dress-in-green/170435.html#product-thumbnail-1
> 
> Please leave a comment or kudos. Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #29: Help! I'm stuck!

It had been three weeks since Maggie caught Harry and Macy on the couch. As the semester wound down, Harry was swamped with end-of-term preparations for the classes he was teaching, plus all the other duties that came from being chair of the department. Macy was deep into a project at the lab and a journal article with a fast-approaching deadline. All of that meant they were restricted to lunch dates on campus, followed by a couple feverish makeout sessions in his office that left them both more frustrated than satisfied. There had been a few texts exchanged late at night as they tried to distract the other from their work. Maggie noticed Harry was more irritable during classes. Macy was always in a horrible mood at home. Something needed to change and quickly.

“Mel, we have got to get our sister laid,” Maggie said, going into Mel’s room one morning.

“Didn’t we already kind of make that happen?” Mel said while yawning.

“She just bit my head off because I put the toothpaste back in the wrong spot on the counter,” Maggie said, throwing herself onto Mel’s bed. “It was in the exact same spot. I just put it at the wrong angle apparently.”

“Did she and Harry have a fight or something? I haven’t seen him around since that night when, you know.”

“We agreed to never speak of that night again. And no, Macy’s just practically living at the lab.”

“And Harry is teaching like three classes this semester. They’re probably just busy right now. This will pass soon enough,” she said, reassuring her sister.

Macy came stomping into Mel’s bedroom. “If you’re going to run the dishwasher, then could you actually make sure you get all the dishes? There was a mug on the counter right next to the dishwasher and now I have to hand wash it,” she yelled and then left the room.

Mel and Maggie looked at each other. “Okay, she’s insane,” Mel said. “Something must be done.”

* * *

Fortunately for the sisters, Harry and Macy had plans for the weekend. The annual holiday alumni gala was Saturday night and Harry had to attend.

“We’re still on for Saturday night, right?” Harry texted her.

“Yes! It has been all that is getting me through this week,” she responded. “I think my sisters are going to kill me.”

“Oh, why?”

“I may be a touch frustrated with the lack of you in my life. And in my bed.”

“I know the feeling. I gave a pop quiz to every class last week, just because I heard someone laughing.”

She sent back a string of laughing emojis. “The dress code is black tie, right?”

“Yes, I have to pull out my tuxedo for it,” he responded, noticing the three dots signifying she was typing back just kept going.

“Sorry, the mental image of you in a tuxedo is doing things to me,” she responded.

“Oh, really?” he texted. “Tell me more about these things and I’ll tell you all the things I’ll be doing to you Saturday night.”

“Don’t start something you can’t finish, Greenwood. Any chance I can see you sooner than Saturday?”

“God, I wish. Grades are due by Friday and I have two dissertation defenses to observe before then,” he said, trying to figure out if there was any way to get her back into his bed sooner. “But after Saturday, you aren’t going to be able to get rid of me.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t want to get rid of you anytime soon.”

He smiled at his phone. It had been just under two months since she came into his life and he had fallen hard for her. He went to respond to her text as a student knocked at his office door. He had completely forgotten he was in the middle of office hours. He sent her a quick kiss emoji and went back to helping his student.

* * *

Macy went upstairs to Maggie’s room and knocked on the door.

“Oh god, what did I do now?” Maggie asked.

“Nothing,” Macy said. “I’m sorry. I know I’ve been a little tense lately. I just wanted to see if you could help me out sometime this week? Harry and I are going to this gala Saturday night and I need to go get a new outfit. It’s black tie.”

“Wait, as in this Saturday?” she said, smiling. “So, you and Harry are finally going out on another date and you’re most likely getting laid afterwards? Oh, thank god.”

Macy blushed. “Okay, it has not been that bad.”

Maggie just glared at her. “You yelled at me because I put the almond milk on the wrong shelf in the refrigerator. And Harry gave us a pop quiz that he clearly just made up on the spot. But don’t worry, we can go shopping on Thursday and then I can fix your hair Saturday before the gala.”

“Thank you, Maggie. And I’m sorry we’ve both been...unpleasant.”

“I will make sure to spend the night at Kappa on Saturday, so I don’t accidentally witness anything,” Maggie said, slightly shuddering. She went into the hallway and yelled to Mel. “Mel! Operation Get Macy Laid is aborted. Just make sure you’re not here Saturday night.”

“Oh thank god,” Mel yelled back. “And I’ll spend the night at Niko’s after my shift at The Haunt.”

“Seriously, guys?” Macy said. “I cannot have been that bad.”

“You were,” they both yelled back. Macy glared at her sisters and rolled her eyes.

* * *

Maggie found Macy a strapless black jumpsuit that displayed a tasteful amount of cleavage. It was just enough to drive Harry crazy while keeping Macy covered. Maggie pulled Macy’s hair back into a long ponytail and placed gold beading along the part of her hair. She finished it off with some square drop earrings and a silver belt around her waist. She put on her black heels.

“How do I look?” Macy asked. 

“Like a total snack," Maggie assured her. "Harry isn’t going to be able to keep his hands off you all night.”

“Good, mission accomplished then,” she said, grabbing a black shawl out of her closet as she heard the doorbell ring.

“I’ll go get the door. If you think I’m letting you get out of here without a million pictures, you don’t know me at all,” Maggie said.

She opened the door to find Harry in a black tuxedo with a plum-colored overcoat. “Dang, Harry, you clean up nice." 

He blushed. “Thank you, Maggie. How has the end of semester been treating you?”

“Not so bad. I made it through unscathed. Even with my one professor who decided to drop a pop quiz on us the week before finals," she said, glaring at him. 

“Well, I’m certain your professor regretted it once he realized he was going to have an extra assignment to grade,” he laughed. “Is your sister ready?”

“Yep, I told her to wait upstairs so I can get pictures of you both,” she said before yelling upstairs for Macy to come down.

As soon as he saw Macy, he forgot how to breathe. Her legs seemed to stretch for miles. Her shoulders and arms were fully exposed. The gold mixed in her hair reminded him of an ancient goddess. Every time he saw her, he was taken aback by her beauty. He had no idea what he had done to deserve this woman in his life.

Maggie took a dozen photos of his face as he saw her. She could see his love for her sister shining through his eyes.

Macy stood in front of Harry and he leaned in to kiss her.

“You look amazing,” he whispered to her.

“You don’t look so bad yourself. Gotta say the actuality of you in a tux is even better than I had imagined,” she said, blushing.

“Alright, I have to get pictures,” Maggie said, coming over to pose them.

“Maggie, we’re grown adults. We don’t need a zillion photos like it’s prom,” Macy said, rolling her eyes.

“Do I look like I care? Because I don’t. Now, I’ll be quick as long as you stop complaining,” Maggie said. By the time the couple finally got out of the house, Maggie had made them take photos by the front door, the stairs, and the fireplace. After 10 minutes, Macy finally shut her sister down and said they had to get going.

“Have fun, you two,” Maggie said, laughing. “Remember to be safe. I’m not ready to be an aunt yet.”

“Maggie,” Macy yelled back at her sister.

Harry blushed and laughed. “Now that your sister isn’t my student anymore, I can find her comments amusing rather than mortifying,” he said, opening the car door for Macy.

“Well, I’m glad at least someone can,” Macy said, leaning over to kiss Harry once he got in the car.

The gentle kiss quickly turned feverish, as all their built-up desire started pouring through them.

“Do we actually have to go to this?” he asked as he kissed the nape of her neck.

“Yes, we both look too good to just forget it,” she said, her breath catching as he gently bit her neck. “And you can’t leave any marks on me. I have no way to hide them.”

“I know. You’re torturing me with this outfit,” he said, reluctantly pulling back.

“That was the general idea,” she said, kissing him once more on the cheek. “And trust me, it is taking all of my strength not to rip this tuxedo off of you and pull you into the backseat.”

“See, when you say things like that, I forget how to do simple things like breathe or drive,” he said, laughing.

“Just think, the sooner we get there, the sooner we get home and you can take this off of me. There may be something underneath I bought for your eyes only,” she said, whispering in his ear.

His tires squealed as he put the car into drive and pulled out onto the street. She laughed. “Your sisters aren’t going to be home tonight, are they?” he asked.

“Nope. Maggie is going to a party at Kappa and staying the night at the sorority house. Mel has a late shift at The Haunt and then she’s spending the night at Niko’s. We have the house to ourselves for the entire night.”

He went silent, his brow furrowing and his nose scrunched up in thought. 

“You’re thinking awfully hard over there,” she said.

“Just trying to figure out exactly how long we need to stay before I can bring you back home and take you to bed.”

“And what’s your estimate?” she said, running her hands along his thigh.

“It’s just after 7:00 now. I think we can make the circuit of donors, bid on a couple silent auction items, eat dinner, listen to the main speaker, and be back home by 10.”

“Make it 9:30 and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Throughout the evening, their hands never left each other’s body. Even while they were eating, their legs were pressed together, just to continue to have that closeness with each other.

As they walked throughout the room, he kept his hand on the small of her back. She had her arm around his waist. She ran into a few of the big donors for the lab and introduced Harry. The donors knew her by sight and asked for updates on a couple of the big projects they were funding. He listened in awe as she detailed her research. He loved how passionate she was about her work.

Harry made sure to introduce Macy to his co-workers from the Women’s Studies department. His co-workers all told her what a great asset he had been to the department, most of them having known her from when her mother had been the chair. He started debating a recent article with one of his co-workers and Macy sat back to listen. She could listen to him speak for hours about anything. He was so engaging.

The main speaker for the night finished their speech highlighting all the ways the alumni association had been helping to fund the various departments. The band started to play as people started heading for the dance floor.

“May I have this dance, Dr. Vaughn?” he asked, standing up from the table, and putting his hand out for her to take.

“I thought you’d never ask,” she said, moving toward the dance floor with him.

The jazz ensemble was playing a slow number. He pulled her close and enjoyed the feeling of her pressed against him. “Have I mentioned how phenomenal you are?” he whispered in her ear.

“Only a couple of times,” she said, shyly laughing.

“Seriously. I think you managed to get more funding for the lab tonight without even trying. Every time I think you can’t impress me anymore, you say something and I’m just blown away all over again.”

She ducked her head down and smiled. She was not used to being in the limelight. Yet somehow, he always made her feel like the center of the universe. “It’s not just me. I didn’t know you had another article published,” she said. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Oh, it’s not a big deal,” he said. He didn’t like to talk about his accomplishments. He always felt like he was boasting and he hated the attention.

“It is a big deal. I want to brag to everyone about my brilliant boyfriend,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

He pulled her closer until there was almost no space between them. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of finally having his girlfriend in his arms again.

“As much as I love dancing with you here, I can think of another dance I’d rather be doing,” she whispered in his ear. “Think we can get out of here?”

She had barely finished her question before he was pulling her off the dance floor. She started to laugh as he all but dragged her over to the coat check to get their belongings.

“Damn, 9:00,” she laughed. “You sure we can get out of here this early? You don’t want to stick around and see if we won any silent auction items?”

“You and I have far more pressing items to attend to tonight.”

* * *

As Harry and Macy wrapped up at the gala, Mel sat in the bathtub at home. She left work early with the beginnings of a fever. She knew the couple would be out for a while, so she was trying to squeeze in a quick bath before she went over to Niko’s for the rest of the night. She sat in the tub, listened to music, and tried to make the world stop spinning. She started to drift off to sleep in the tub when her phone chimed. It was Niko, telling her she would come pick her up, so Mel didn’t have to drive while she was so dizzy.

Since Mel had her earbuds in, she completely missed the sound of the front door opening.

“Anyone home?” Macy yelled, entering the home. Hearing no response, she pulled Harry against her. “I figure we can’t be too careful. Looks like we have the house to ourselves as promised.”

“Oh, thank god,” he said. “Your bed. Now.”

He pulled her back against him, kissing her. She opened her mouth to him instantly, needing to consume as much of him as possible. She kicked off her heels and pushed his overcoat off, dropping it on the floor unaware of where it landed. He broke away from her long enough to pull off his shoes and throw them in the general direction of the door.

They made it up a few stairs before she pushed him against the wall. She shoved his suit jacket off. He reached up to undo his bow tie. She started to unbutton his tuxedo shirt, kissing along his chest as she exposed more of it.

“Jesus, why are these buttons so fucking small?” she asked, struggling to undo the shirt. “Fuck it. I’ll either sew them back on myself or I’ll just buy you a new shirt.” She ripped open the rest of the shirt, buttons popping off as she pulled.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs. “As much as I love this, I hardly want our first time to be on the staircase,” he said, pushing her up against a closed door.

He reached for the zipper on her jumpsuit and quickly pulled it down. The top fell down, leaving her in a strapless black bra made of pure lace. He stopped and stared at her breasts.

“You like what you see, Professor,” she asked, her voice lowering.

“So very much, yes,” he said, kissing along her collarbone and down into the gap between her breasts. “But as much as I adore what you’ve bought to wear. I’d much rather see what’s underneath.” He reached around and unclasped her bra with ease. He pulled it off and tossed it on the ground.

As he lavished attention on each of her breasts, she threw her head back, hitting her head against the closed door, and letting out a loud moan.

Mel was on the other side of that door, frozen. The thud of Harry pressing Macy against the door had startled her, causing her to take out her earbuds. She realized what was happening on the other side.

She quickly pulled out her phone to text Maggie. “I’m stuck! Help!”

“What? Where are you? Do you need help? Why aren’t you at work?” Maggie responded.

“I was feeling sick, so I came home to take a bath before I went to Neko’s.”

“Where are you stuck at home? I’m so confused. And slightly wasted, ngl.”

“I’m in the bathroom.”

“And…?”

“And Harry and Macy came home early…”

“Oh no!” Maggie sent back a string of crying while laughing emojis. “They didn’t make it to the bedroom, did they?”

“Nope. Pretty sure they’re fucking against the bathroom door.”

“You cannot interrupt them. We cannot go back to bitchy Macy. Eventually, they’ll go to Macy’s room...I hope.”

“Why? Why? Why did this have to happen to me?”

“At least you’re behind a closed door! I’ll never get the image of Harry’s head between Macy’s legs out of my head. There isn’t enough alcohol in the world.”

“Why did you have to give me that mental image?”

“Because I cannot be the only one to carry that burden!”

Mel put her earbuds back in and turned the volume up as loud as she could stand it. She felt ridiculous, but Maggie was right. They eventually had to go to Macy’s room.

Back on the other side of the door, Harry let go of Macy’s waist and the rest of her jumpsuit fell to the floor. If he thought her legs stretched for miles while she was wearing clothes, they seemed to stretch even farther when they were bare. She had on a tiny black lace thong that matched her bra.

She reached out and unzipped his pants. He stepped out of them and kicked them to the side. “I don’t know which room is yours,” he said. “But take me there now.”

She laughed and pulled him towards her room. Their lips met again as they frantically kissed while walking towards the bed. He kicked the door shut.

The sound of the slamming door jolted Mel. She took out her earbuds and listened for a moment. She was finally clear. Niko had been sitting outside waiting for her for 15 minutes. She left the bathroom and looked down at the trail of clothes leading from the doorway to Macy’s room, shaking her head. She had everything she needed already at Niko’s, so she just ran out the front door to her waiting car.

Macy and Harry were so lost in each other they didn’t hear the front door open or close. He was dragging her underwear down her legs.

“I have been dying to finish what we started that night on the couch,” he said, laying down between he legs. He moved one finger slowly up her opening, separating her lips. “I’ve been dreaming of your taste.” He leaned in and ran his tongue slowly along her sex. Stopping at her clit, he placed a soft kiss.

She was already on the edge. The anticipation of tonight had pushed her so close to already falling apart. “Harry, as much as I love this, and I do. I really, really do, I really want you inside of me, like yesterday,” she said.

“There’s plenty of time for that. We have all night together.” He pushed two fingers gently inside he. He pulled them out and placed his tongue inside of her. The combination of his stubble against her, with the heat from his breath, and the feeling of his tongue sent her over the edge. She began to shake, screaming out his name as she came around him. He pulled back, breathless.

As she came down from her orgasm, she reached for his arm and pulled him up towards her. “As amazing as that was, and trust me, we are going to do that so many more times, I need you inside me.” She spread her legs further to try and angle herself against his hardness.

“Wait, condom. It’s in my wallet. Which is in my pants in the hallway,” he said, moving to get out of the bed for a second.

She pulled him back in. “I’m clean. Do I need to worry about catching anything from you?”

“I’m clean, too. But Macy, are you sure?”

“IUD, so we’re covered. I want to feel all of you.”

He positioned himself over her and paused just outside of her opening. He looked back at her one more time as if asking her permission. She smiled and gave him a short nod. He pushed into her and paused. The feeling of her silky walls around him with just the right amount of tightness. He felt like he had been made specifically for her.

“Harry? You can move.”

“I just needed a moment, or else this is going to end embarrassingly quickly. You feel so amazing.”

He looked into her eyes as he began to move. He tried to stay controlled as long as possible. He ran his hands up and down her body. They were both trying to figure out what the other one liked. So far, he had figured out that when he kissed her just behind her ear, she made the softest mewling sound that was both adorable and hot. She discovered he was slightly ticklish when she ran her hands down his stomach. When he angled himself just right, he could hit a spot within her that made her throw her head back and moan his name. When she dragged her fingers down his back, he liked it when she scratched him just a little. And so it went. The two lovers trying to catalog all the ways to make their partner fall apart.

“Macy, love, I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last,” he said. She could feel him starting to move more erratically.

“It’s okay, Harry. Like you said, we have all night to do this again and again,” she reassured him.

He focused on trying to make her cum one more time before he let himself go. He reached between them and caressed her clit while trying to find that one spot inside of her again. He heard her breath catch.

“Harry,” she breathlessly moaned. “Oh god, oh babe.” She began to feverishly thrust against him as she lost full control. The feeling of her walls fluttering around him pushed him over the edge.

“Macy,” he breathed out as he filled her with his seed.

The two stopped and tried to catch their breaths as they came down. She still had her legs wrapped around him, trying to hold him inside of her for as long as she could. She wasn’t ready to feel the emptiness that would come once he pulled himself out. Their bodies were covered in a sheen of sweat. Reluctantly, she let him roll onto his back next to her.

“That. Was so much better than I ever thought it could be,” she said, looking over at him.

He smiled. He didn’t even have words yet to describe what he was feeling. He leaned in to kiss her. Their tongues lazily tangled as he pulled her against his body. They kissed for what felt like hours, but could have only been minutes. Time had ceased to have meaning outside of their bed. They became more purposeful in their kissing. It was nowhere near the frenzied fury that led to their first coupling that night. This was filled with the knowledge of what it felt like to have the other.

He pulled her leg over his hip. “Macy, my love, are you ready again?”

She placed her hand between her legs, letting him feel how wet she was. “What do you think?” she asked him as she pushed him down onto his back. She straddled him and led him back into her opening.

This time was slower, more focused on continuing to learn the other’s body. He let her set the pace while he focused on finding her most sensitive spots. That spot behind her ear he found earlier. Trailing his lips along her collarbone. The spot behind her knee. Every move was a new discovery to be made.

As she got closer to the edge, she took his hands and pinned them to the bed. He let her move against him in the ways that she knew would push her over. As she reached her climax, he felt her go completely still while the waves of pleasure washed over her. The look on her face was all he needed to meet her on the other side. He yelled out her name as he came inside her for the second time that night.

She leaned in and kissed him as he finished his climax. “I’ll be back. I need a glass of water if we’re going to do that again,” she said, still slightly panting. She got out of bed and went over to the bathroom, taking a moment to clean herself up.

“Agreed,” he said. While he waited for her to come back, he focused on trying to regain his ability to breathe. When she got out of the bathroom, he got up and took the opportunity to clean himself up as well.

He came back to find her sitting up against the headboard, the sheet covering her from the waist down. He leaned against the doorway and just watched his love. The moonlight was streaming through her window and illuminating her skin.

“So beautiful,” he whispered to himself.

She smiled over at him. “I think that’s what you whispered the day of the blood drive, wasn’t it?”

He walked back over to the bed and got under the covers next to her. “Ah no, I think that day I said so pretty, because I had to cover it up by saying it was painless. But I guess I didn’t do a very good job of covering, did I?”

“No, but I thought it was adorable.” She gently kissed him on the lips. “I thought everything about you was adorable that day.”

“I thought you were the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen. Still do. I don’t know how I got this lucky.”

The two laid down against the pillows. He pulled her close to him and she rested her head on his chest while he combed his fingers through her curls.

“Harry?” she whispered.

“Yes, my love?”

“I think I’m falling for you.”

“Well, I’ll be here to catch you because I fell for you ages ago,” he said as he softly kissed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't say this is the end of this universe because I keep coming up with new ideas for it. This will be the last story from me for a while until I can finish my season 2 rewrite, though. Let me know what you thought of this chapter!


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Macy says she's sick and wants to be alone. Harry won't let her push him away and spends the evening taking care of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was born out of a truly terrible week and some writer's block with my other fic. I didn't mean for this to turn into porn, but it did. Enjoy the hurt/comfort smut. Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it.

_Tuesday, 9:41 am Harry: Good morning, beautiful. Are we still on for tonight? I’ll pick up dinner and bring it over around 7?_

_Tuesday, 10:00 am Macy: Morning, babe. I need to cancel tonight. I’m not feeling great._

_Tuesday, 10:55 am Harry: :( I can bring you some soup or something._

_Tuesday, 11:30 am Macy: No, I just want to take some meds and go to sleep early. I’m not very good company today._

_Tuesday, 11:45 am Harry: If you’re sure. You know you don’t need to entertain me. I just want to see you._

_Tuesday, 11:59 am Macy: I know. I just need sleep tonight._

_Tuesday, 12:04 pm Harry: Okay. I love you. Let me know if you need anything._

_Tuesday, 12:07 pm Macy: I love you, too. And I will._

Harry got through his back-to-back classes that afternoon and fought the urge to show up at Macy’s with soup. They hadn’t seen each other in a couple days due to a conference he had out of town over the weekend. They hadn’t gone this long without seeing each other since before Christmas. He had spent nearly every night over at her house since the new year. He missed his girlfriend and wanted to see her, even if she wasn’t feeling well. 

_Wednesday, 10:13 am Harry: Good morning, love. How are you feeling today?_

_Wednesday, 10:47 am Macy: I’m okay. Still not feeling great. Struggling to make it through work this morning._

_Wednesday, 11:01 am Harry: Do you want to have lunch together?_

_Wednesday, 11:15 am Macy: I was going to work through my lunch today and try to get out of here early tonight._

_Wednesday, 11:22 am Harry: Okay, do you want me to bring dinner over tonight?_

_Wednesday, 11:35 am Macy: Not tonight. I just want to sleep again._

_Wednesday, 11:44 am Harry: Okay, I love you._

_Wednesday, 11:52 am Macy: I love you._

He was worried. If she felt that poorly, surely she shouldn’t be coming in to work. He also knew she was a workaholic and wouldn’t consider calling sick unless she was on her deathbed. He would give her one more day before he just dropped by to check on her. 

_Thursday, 9:01 am Harry: Hi, love. I hope you’re feeling better today. I miss you._

_Thursday, 9:33 am Macy: Morning. Still don’t feel great. Miss you, too._

_Thursday, 9:57 am Harry: Can I please bring you dinner tonight? I just want to see you._

_Thursday, 10:02 am Macy: I’m just not up to it. I’m sorry._

_Thursday, 10:09 am Harry: It’s okay, love. I’m just worried about you. Do you think you need to go to the doctor?_

_Thursday, 11:15 am Harry: Macy? Are you okay?_

_Thursday, 1:35 pm Harry: Alright, love. Just please text me back so I know you’re okay._

_Thursday, 4:00 pm Macy: I’m ok_

He had a department meeting Friday. Mel would be there since she was the teaching assistant for a couple of classes this semester. If Macy didn’t text him back tonight, he would find out what was happening from Mel tomorrow. 

He checked his phone all night. There had been no other texts from her last night. He was getting even more worried. She normally sent him a string of texts throughout the day. They hadn’t talked so little since they started dating. He hated this. He just wanted to see her. 

He was the first to arrive at the meeting the next morning. He kept an eye out for Mel. As soon as she stepped through the door, he waved her over to come and sit next to him. 

“Mel, what’s going on?” he asked worriedly.

“What’s going on with what?” she asked, confused.

“With Macy? Is she okay?”

“As far as I know, she’s fine. I haven’t been home in a few days, though. Why?”

“Because she keeps telling me not to come over because she’s sick.” 

She closed her eyes and sighed. “How long has she been doing that?”

“I was out of town over the weekend, but I was supposed to go over Tuesday night to see her. She told me not to come over and just keeps telling me she isn’t up for company,” he said, worried and slightly hurt. 

“That about lines up. I told her on Monday that I’m moving in with Niko when her lease is up in June. We’re looking for a new place together. Macy said she was fine with it, but she just does this sometimes. She freezes and just shuts everyone out. Don’t take it personally. She’ll snap out of it, eventually.” 

“Why wouldn’t I take that personally, Mel? She’s my girlfriend. She’s not supposed to shut me out,” he said, frustrated. 

_Friday, 9:59 am Harry: Good morning, love. How are you feeling today?_

_Friday, 10:44 am Harry: Macy? Are you okay?_

_Friday, 12:02 pm Harry: Macy, please just answer me. Mel told me you’re not sick._

_Friday, 2:15 pm Harry: I’m just worried about you._

_Friday, 3:35 pm Harry: As soon as I’m done with work, I’m coming over to check on you. Please, just don’t shut me out._

Macy heard her phone chime. She curled up tighter. She was certain it was Harry again. Of course it was. She would be the same way if he started ghosting her. She just couldn’t face him today. Today was the first time she had ever called in sick. She couldn’t bring herself to get out of bed today. 

She heard a soft knock at her door. “Go away,” she called out. “I’m fine.”

Maggie walked in. “Mace, you’re not fine. You’re home in the middle of the work day. I’ve never seen you take a sick day. What’s wrong?” She laid down on the bed next to her. 

Macy continued to face away from her sister. “I’m just sick. That’s all.” 

“I don’t think that’s it. What’s wrong? You’ve been off ever since Mel said she was moving in with Niko and I told you about the sorority house.” 

“It’s nothing. Really, I’m fine. Just leave me alone.” 

“Are you worried about living here all alone? Because there’s a very clear answer to that problem.” 

“Maggie, seriously, just go away.”

“Okay, I’m just saying if you don’t want to live in the house alone, I’m sure there’s someone in your life who would jump at the opportunity to live here.” She got up and walked out of the room.

She closed her eyes and sighed. She was too tired for Maggie’s head games right now. She would eventually be fine. She just needed to lay here in bed for a little while longer.

* * *

Harry knocked on the door of the manor. Maggie quickly answered the door. “Oh, thank god,” she said. “What’s taken you so long?”

“What are you talking about?” he asked, confused.

“I mean, Macy has hardly left her room for three days. What took you so long to get over here and kick her ass out of bed?” the youngest sister said, rolling her eyes.

“She kept telling me not to come. I was trying to respect her wishes.” 

She pursed her lips and looked at him. Her eyes got wider. “Right, this is your first experience with Dark Macy.” 

“Dark Macy?” 

“It’s what I call her when she’s in one of her spirals. Well, if anyone can get her out of it, it’s going to be you. She’s upstairs in her room, where she’s been all day.” She walked away and went back to sit in the living room.

He walked upstairs and softly knocked on his girlfriend’s bedroom door. 

“Go away, Maggie,” he heard her say from the other side of the door. “I told you I wanted to be left alone.” 

“It’s not Maggie, love,” he said, poking his head in the door.

She sat up quickly and looked at him. She looked exhausted. There were bags under her eyes as if she hadn’t slept in a couple of days. “Harry? What are you doing here?”

He sighed in annoyance. “What am I doing here? My girlfriend has been pushing me away for four days now and then she just stopped texting me. Where else would I be?” 

She looked at him, her eyes wide. She blinked and burst into tears. He quickly moved over to the bed and pulled her into his arms. 

“It’s alright, love,” he said as she sobbed into his shoulder. “It’s going to be alright. Will you please just tell me what’s wrong?”

“It’s so stupid, though,” she said between sobs.

“Macy, if it’s got you this upset, it’s not stupid.” He laid back against the headboard, pulling her into his chest.

“My article got rejected by another journal. And then I messed up this project at work and we had to restart all the analysis and we almost had to destroy all the specimens. And my boss was so mad and she yelled at me and I’ve never been yelled at by her. And now I’m probably going to get fired because I called in sick today. And Mel’s moving in with Niko, which means she isn’t going to pay anymore of the mortgage. And Maggie’s moving into the sorority house next year, so she isn’t chipping in. And I’m not going to be able to afford this place on my own, so I’m going to lose our house, which is our last connection to mom. And I just can’t handle everything.” As she talked, she became more hysterical to the point she was nearly hyperventilating. 

“Okay, look at me,” he said, pulling her up so they were facing each other. “You have to breathe, love.” He took her hand and placed it on his chest. “Breathe in with me. Hold it. And then let it out.” She looked into his eyes and tried to match his breaths. After a minute or so, her breathing returned to a normal pace. “That was a whole lot all at once, so let’s go through it one thing at a time.”

She nodded, embarrassed he had seen her so upset. She tried so hard to hide this side of her from the world. 

He cradled her face in his hands. “I’m sorry about your journal article. I know how hard you’ve been working on that. It happens to all of us, though. Just because one journal rejected it, that doesn’t mean they all will. As for the project at work, everyone makes mistakes. It’s never fun to get reprimanded, but I’ve seen how much your boss appreciates your work. You’re not going to get fired for taking a sick day. That’s why sick days exist. And the house, I can help you make a budget or find some ways to cut back on expenses. Or you could always get a roommate. But you’re not going to lose your house, love. It’s going to work out. We’ll make sure of it.”

She leaned forward and hugged him, inhaling his familiar scent she had missed so much these past couple days. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, love,” he said, pulling her closer. “I just wish you had talked to me earlier instead of pushing me away for so many days. That’s kind of one of the perks of a relationship. You don’t have to carry this all on your own.” 

She looked down at her hands. “I know, but I’m not used to that. I’ve always had to be the strong one. Especially after mom died. Mel was angry all the time and Maggie was so upset. There wasn’t room for me to feel anything, so I learned to bury everything. Sometimes, it all just bubbles over.” 

He kissed the top of her head. “Well, you have room to feel now. Let me be here for you.” 

She nodded, her eyes filling up with tears again. “It’s going to take me a while to get used to that.”

“That’s fine. I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “Now, when was the last time you had something to eat?” 

She squinted her eyes, trying to think. 

“If it takes you that long to answer, it’s been too long,” he said. “We’re going to order a pizza. Until it arrives, we’re going to watch some truly terrible television. And then after we eat, you’re going to take a nice hot bath and I’ll give you a massage afterwards. How does that sound?”

She smiled warmly. “It sounds like everything I’ve needed all week.” She leaned over to kiss him. “Thank you. For ignoring me when I told you not to come over. And for knowing exactly what I needed today.” 

“Macy, I love you,” he said, his forehead pressed against hers. “You don’t have to push me away. I want to be here for the bad times just as much as the good ones.” 

She nodded. “I know. You might just need to remind me of that every now and then.” 

He held her for a few moments longer and then stood up. “I’m going to go see if Maggie is going to be around for dinner and if she wants any pizza. I’ll be right back.” 

He went back downstairs to find Maggie sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone. 

“Holy shit, she actually talked to you,” she said. “That’s huge for her. Dark Macy never talks to anyone.” 

“I will take that as a compliment then,” he said, smiling softly. “We’re going to order some pizza. Would you like any?” 

“I have a date tonight, so no, but thank you for offering,” she said, looking up from her phone. “I know she’s upset Mel and I are moving out, but we figured this was the best time for it to happen. And besides, if she would just open her eyes, the answer to her problems is right in front of her.” 

He looked at her, quizzically. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re just as dumb as she is then,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’ve got to go get ready for my date with Parker. You two have fun tonight.” 

He quickly placed their pizza order and then walked back up to Macy’s room. “It should be here in about 45 minutes. Now, what do you want to watch?” 

“I haven’t watched this week’s episode of The Bachelor yet,” she smiled. “I didn’t want to watch without you.” 

“Perfect, I was waiting for you as well,” he said, climbing back into bed. She pulled it up on her laptop and then snuggled in against his chest. If anyone else asked, neither of them would admit to liking this show. It was horribly sexist. Everything about it was a total cliche. Secretly, though, they loved to make fun of it together. 

They made it through the first date before the pizza arrived. Harry went to answer the door and brought it back upstairs. Macy normally hated to eat in her room, but she would make an exception tonight. They ate quietly while they finished the episode. He had predicted correctly who was getting eliminated, as he seemed to every week. If she didn’t know better, she would think he was looking up spoilers. 

“You go get in the bathtub. I’ll clean up in here and see you when you get out,” he said, kissing her quickly.

“Aren’t you going to come in with me?” she asked innocently. 

“I wouldn’t want to intrude on your relaxation,” he smirked. “Tonight is about pampering you.”

She put her arms around his neck. “I happen to find it very relaxing when you’re around. Now, come on. There’s plenty of room for both of us in there.” She grabbed his hand and walked them over to the bathtub. As the water ran, she slowly undressed herself. He watched as more and more of her delicious skin was revealed to him. 

Once she was fully naked, she walked over and started undressing him. She turned off the water and motioned for him to get in first. He sat down in the water and spread his legs apart for her to settle between them. 

She sat down and leaned herself back against him. He wrapped his hands around her and kissed the back of her neck. “I’ve missed you so much this week,” he whispered. “Can we please never go that long without seeing each other again?”

“I missed you, too,” she sighed. She turned her face towards his and captured his lips with hers. 

His hands wandered along her body, relishing the feeling of her smooth skin. He lathered her body wash along her stomach and back. He took her loofah and delicately washed the soap from her body. His hands kept inching lower and lower, but never quite where she wanted them. She let out a soft whine. 

“What is it, love?” he whispered wickedly in her ear. “Am I not doing a good job at helping you relax?” 

“No, I wouldn’t say I’m especially relaxed right now,” she said, pushing herself against his hardened erection. She pushed her legs apart a little more. 

“Oh, really?” he said, his hands moving up the insides of her thighs. “And what would help you relax?” His voice lowered an octave. “Why don’t you show me?” 

She took his hand and placed it on her engorged nub. She sighed deeply as his fingers began to move in soft circles around her clit. He slowly pushed one finger in her soaking wet entrance. He quickly pushed in a second, helping to spread her apart. She gasped as his thumb quickly flicked across her clit. She began to move up and down along his fingers, trying to get them in just the right spot. He moved her hair to the side and kissed along her neck. He moved his fingers faster, in and out of her. He saw her legs tensing up, her toes curling, a sign she was about to be pushed over the edge. He crooked his fingers just so and whispered, “Let go, love. I’ve got you.” It was all she needed to fall over the edge.

She let her orgasm take over, water splashing out the side of the tub as she spasmed in his arms. She caught her breath and looked back at him. “I definitely feel more relaxed now,” she whispered against his lips. 

He leaned in and kissed her softly. “Good. Now, what do you say to a massage?” 

She looked down at him. “Isn’t it your turn now?” she asked innocently.

He smiled at her. “I can wait. Tonight is about you.” 

She released the water from the tub and stood up, grabbing her towel. He took it from her and gently dried her off. She took it back from him and ran the towel along his body, chasing some of the water droplets with her lips. He had been serious that he wanted to continue focusing on her. As she brushed the towel over his weeping erection, he breathed in sharply. “Macy, love, please, I’m not done with you yet,” he said, grabbing her wrist. “And if you keep going like that, I’m not going to be able to stop.”

She tilted her head to the side and smiled. “That’s kind of the point, Harry. Really, you’ve done amazing at helping me relax.”

“Go lie down on the bed,” he told her. “I promised you a massage and I don’t break my promises.” 

She pouted. “Fine, but I’m not going to make this easy on you.”

“Oh Macy, love, you never have,” he laughed. “I just need a moment.” As she walked back into her room, he took a deep breath in. He just needed to focus on her for a little while longer. Tonight was about her. He could wait as long as he needed. He just had to convince all of him of that fact. 

He walked in to find Macy lying on her back naked on the bed. He took a moment to look over her body. Every time he laid his eyes on her, he couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have such a beautiful woman who wanted him. 

“On your stomach, love,” he told her. She smiled at him and did as he asked. 

He started with her shoulders, tense from hunching over a microscope all day. He could feel the weight she carried there. One by one, he worked through the tension that had built up. With every knot he worked out, she let out a moan. They started soft, as if she were trying to hide them from him. As more knots were released, the moans built in volume. 

Once her shoulders were finished, he worked down her back. His hands focused on her pressure points. He was going deep into her muscles, but not to the point it was painful. She had never been a big fan of massages, but she finally understood the attraction. She already knew he was magical with his hands, but this was a whole new level.

He continued to her lower back, stopping just above her buttocks. She reached her hands back, grabbing for his. She was ready for him. The foreplay was about to kill her. 

He grabbed her wrists in one hand and pinned them to the bed over her head. “I’m not done yet,” he whispered. “Patience, my love.” 

“Harry,” she nearly whined. “Please.” 

His hands traveled down her body again, checking to see if there were any knots he had left in her back. Not finding any, he held his body against her back. He was lined up just against her entrance. “Alright, love, what do you need from me now?” he whispered in her ear.

She spread her legs just a little more and pushed herself against his cock. He helped her onto her side and pressed himself against her back. He pulled her leg over his and pushed into her from behind. She gasped. From this angle, he was filling more of her. He slowly pushed into her before pulling out just slightly. He continued at this languid pace, knowing how frustrated she got when he wanted to take his time like this. 

He took his hands and put them against her center. As he continued to slowly take her from behind, his fingers moved rapidly against her. The differences in rhythm were driving her crazy. Every time she tried to speed up his movements inside of her, he would slow down. She whimpered in frustration. He chuckled against her ear. “You’re so impatient,” he said. “When one has a goddess such as yourself in their bed, every moment must be savored.” 

“Okay, but there’s savoring things and then there’s torture,” she gasped. “Please, Harry, let me come again.”

“Oh love, there’s nothing stopping you,” he said, biting her earlobe. He pushed himself into her as deep as he could go while brushing his fingers over her clit. “Come for me.” 

That was all she needed. He felt her walls spasming around him while she yelled out his name in ecstasy. She pushed herself against him, seeking more closeness as she worked through her orgasm. She clenched her muscles and the tightness pushed Harry over the edge alongside her. He moaned her name and spilled himself inside of her. The feeling of him falling apart in her triggered another smaller orgasm and she whined against him. They both stopped, coming down from their high, breathing heavily. 

“So, did I do a good job at helping you relax tonight?” he chuckled softly.

“I’ve never been more relaxed in my life,” she said, pulling his arms around her. 

He pulled out of her and laid down on his back, pulling her against his chest. He kissed the crown of her head. “I love you, Macy,” he said softly, closing his eyes. 

She looked up at him. Suddenly, she realized what Maggie had meant earlier. 

“Harry?” 

“Hmm,” he raised his eyebrows but kept his eyes closed.

“Move in with me,” she said without hesitation. 

His eyes opened and he looked down at her. “What?”

She smiled at him. “I want you to move in with me. You already stay here most nights anyway. I want to come home and know that you’re already going to be here. I want to have dinner together every night. I want to figure out how we’re going to merge our book collections together with our insane organization systems. I want to go to sleep every night in your arms and have your face be the first thing I see when I wake up. I want to live with you. I know it’s insane. We’ve only been together for six months, but Harry, I just wa-”

He leaned in and kissed her. “Yes, Macy. I’d love to move in with you. My love, you’re it for me. If you’ll have me, I want nothing more than to spend every day waking up to you.” 

Her smile got wider. “We’re really doing this then?” 

He nodded. “Yeah, let’s move in together.” He laughed with joy. “I can’t believe this is really happening.” 

They spent the rest of the evening tangled in each other’s arms, kissing and talking about all the things they could do with each other once they had the house to themselves. 

The next morning, Macy texted her sisters and asked them to be home for lunch. She wanted to make sure it was okay with both of them if Harry moved into their home. Mel said she figured she had already asked him, since he practically lived there already. Maggie just rolled her eyes and said they were dumb for even thinking they needed permission. Macy looked back at him and smiled. He hugged her from behind and placed a soft kiss against her cheek. All of her anxieties from earlier in the week melted away as she enjoyed the feeling of being held by the man who loved her. 

  
  



	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Macy's first anniversary is quickly approaching, but she begins to worry when he starts acting strangely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we've reached the end of the road with this fic. This feels like a natural place to end things. We started with tooth-rotting fluff. We ended with tooth-rotting fluff. And in the middle, there was some porn.

Macy and Harry had been living together for just under five months. Mel moved out with Niko at the end of the school year. Maggie officially moved into the sorority house at the beginning of the next school year, but she spent most of the summer unofficially crashing there, wanting to give the couple time to adjust to living together. 

Everything had been going perfectly. Of course, they had the typical growing pains that came with living together. Figuring out how to organize the kitchen. Dividing space in their closet. Macy had perfected her organization system and struggled with any changes. 

Harry set up his office in the attic, finding a space in the house to make his own. Macy was reluctant to change Mel or Maggie’s rooms, wanting to make sure they knew it was still their home, too. Mel finally convinced her to turn her room into a guest room, assuring Macy she would not be offended. Maggie’s room remained the same, since she still spent time there over breaks from school. 

Towards the beginning of August, Harry took Macy back to England for a vacation. She had never been and he wanted to show her where he had grown up. His parents had both passed away while he was in college and he had very little remaining family.

They spent most of the time with his grandmother Willa, a spitfire at 85 years old. She lived on a small farm out in the English countryside, still waking up every morning to tend to the cows. She instantly took to Macy, telling her she had never seen "her Harry" happier in his life. 

Macy knew she had Willa’s approval when she insisted on showing her how to make her famous chocolate cake. Willa told her it had always been Harry’s favorite dessert growing up. Macy remembered him talking about that cake, telling her the recipe was a family secret Willa entrusted with absolutely no one. Before they left, Willa thanked Macy for loving her grandson and slipped her a notecard with the recipe on it. She winked at her and said, “For family's eyes only.” 

She also met his twin brother James, who she believed to be a smarmy bastard, but she tolerated him for Harry’s sake. He was some sort of corporate businessman who spent most of his time traveling. He and Harry weren’t especially close. Harry explained they were polar opposites who spent most of their childhood fighting. As their mother was dying, though, both men promised her they would never lose touch with each other. Although their relationship was mainly perfunctory phone calls on holidays and Facebook updates, they took their promise to their mother seriously.

It was the end of September when Macy started to notice problems. Harry was spending more time at his office. When he was home, he was distracted, constantly on his phone. She didn’t think much of it at first. It was still the beginning of the semester. He was teaching three undergraduate classes and a graduate seminar. He just needed to get into the rhythm of the school year and things would get better. It was going to be fine. 

* * *

During the sisters’ weekly brunch, Maggie was filling them in on her classes that semester. She was excited to finally be out of the lower-level general education classes and into her psychology courses. “Okay, what is up with you?” she finally asked, looking over at Macy, who had yet to ask a single question.

“What are you talking about?” Macy said, brushing her off. “Nothing’s up with me.”

“You normally have a million questions about my classes. Hell, you typically want to see the syllabus for each class, wanting to know exactly what I’m learning. But you’re being quiet and weird.” 

“She’s right, Mace,” Mel agreed. “Maggie just went through her full schedule and you didn’t ask a single question about any of her projects.”

Macy sighed. “I’m sorry. I just was lost in my own mind. I’m here, I’m listening. So, what projects do you have this semester?” 

“No, Mace, come on,” Maggie said. “Something’s clearly wrong. What’s up?” 

“I’m sure it’s nothing and I’m just worrying for no reason,” Macy said, taking a sip of her coffee. “It’s just...things have been off with Harry the past couple weeks. He’s been acting weird.”

The younger sisters looked at each other, with an expression Macy couldn’t decode. “Weird? Weird like how?” Maggie asked, her voice getting higher-pitched. 

“He’s just been distant,” she sighed. “He only came home for dinner two nights this week. When he is home, he’s in the attic working. I hardly see him anymore. I just feel like he’s pulling away from me.” Her eyes got wide. “Oh god, what if he’s trying to figure out how to break up with me? What if he’s trying to find a new place to live and that’s why he’s never around?” 

“Macy, no,” Mel said, reaching out for her arm. “Harry loves you. You know how busy this semester is for him. And remember, he’s presenting at that conference at the end of October. He’s probably just preoccupied.” 

“I guess. It just seems like he’s almost finding reasons not to be around me.” 

“Don’t even worry, sis,” Maggie said. “Harry is crazy about you. It’s what Mel said.” 

“If you say so,” she said, still not entirely certain. “Let’s talk about something else. Oh hey, when is Homecoming this year? You’re in charge of the blood drive again, right?”

Maggie groaned. “Yes, apparently the downside to having a record number of donors last year is that I did such a great job, they put me in charge again this year. It’s the second week in October. Can I count on your help again? It made everything go so much smoother. The community blood center never sends enough workers.” 

“Yeah, of course,” Macy said. She smiled sadly. “That means Harry and my anniversary is in just a couple weeks. He hasn’t said anything about it. What if he forgot?”

“His mind is a steel trap,” Mel said, rolling her eyes. “There’s no way he forgot. I’m sure he has something up his sleeve.”

“If you say so,” she said. She tried to stay focused on the conversation with her sisters for the rest of their brunch, but her mind was still a million miles away. 

* * *

The next day, Mel went to find Harry in his office, walking in and slamming the door behind her.

He gave her a confused, wide-eyed stare. “What? What’s wrong?”

“You are what’s wrong,” she said, sitting down across from him. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Greenwood?”

“What are you talking about?” he said, his brow wrinkling. 

“I’m talking about the fact that Macy thinks you’re trying to figure out a way to break up with her.” 

His face paled. “No, what? Why on earth would she think that?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s because you’re doing everything you can to avoid her. You’re always ‘at the office.’ You had dinner with Niko and I twice last week just so you weren’t at home. Macy’s not dumb. She can tell something’s up.” 

He ran his hands down his face in frustration. “I know. I was hoping she would just think I was busy with work, not that I’m trying to break up with her.”

“Well, what would you think if you were her? You’ve got to get it together, man. Maggie and I have our end of everything figured out. You just have to calm down and not fuck this all up.” 

“I know,” he sighed. “I’ll get it together. I promise.” 

“Good, now I’ve got a class to teach. You are uninvited for dinner for the next two weeks. Spend time at home with Macy. Get her to stop freaking out.” 

As Mel left, he sighed. Two weeks. He just needed to last two more weeks. He looked at his schedule for the day, seeing he was free for the next couple hours. It was just around lunchtime. It had been a while since he surprised Macy and he had missed her the past couple weeks.

He grabbed coffee and sandwiches from their favorite shop on campus and walked over to her lab. He walked in, looking around for her as she wasn't at her desk. 

“Oh hey man,” Galvin said, walking by and seeing Harry. “Macy’s just finishing up a meeting.” His brow furrowed. “Did she know you were coming by? She said she was going to work through lunch today.”

“No,” he said. “I just wanted to surprise her. Busy schedules and all that.” 

“Right on,” Galvin nodded. “Well, she’ll be psyched. She’s seemed a little down the past week or so.” 

His heart sank. How bad had it gotten that even her co-workers were noticing the change in her mood? Mel was right. He had to get his act together. 

Macy walked back in the room, her shoulders slumped and a light frown on her face. She stopped at her desk before looking up and seeing her boyfriend standing there. “Harry? What are you doing here?” she asked, a cautious smile replacing her frown.

“I just wanted to see if I could steal you away for lunch,” he said, setting the food and coffee down and taking her hands in his. “We haven’t gotten to spend much time together lately and I missed you.” 

Her smile got bigger. “Of course, Harry. I’d love that. I just need to let Dr. Wagner know I’m going to be gone for a bit. We’ve got this big project we’ve been working on.” 

Dr. Wagner walked by just then and stopped at Macy’s desk. “Good to see you again, Harry. Macy, I’ll see you back here in an hour.”

“But my lunch break is only 30 minutes?” she said, confused.

“Really? Because I could have sworn it was an hour? And since I’m your boss, wouldn’t I be the one who would know how long your break is?” she said, winking and walking away. 

“Yeah, I’m not going to question that,” she said, looking back at him. 

They walked over to their favorite bench off to the side of the quad. It sat under a large oak tree, providing just enough shade. It was one of those perfect early fall days. Still warm enough neither needed a jacket, but without the oppressive humidity that had lingered at the end of summer.

“So, to what do I owe this surprise?” she said, unwrapping her sandwich.

“Can’t I just surprise my girlfriend with lunch?” he asked.

“Yeah, but we haven’t done this in a while,” she said, biting her lip nervously. 

“And that’s my fault,” he said, scooting closer to her. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around much the past couple weeks. I’ve just been trying to get everything sorted for this semester.” 

“I know,” she said, squeezing his knee. “I’ve just missed you. The house is quiet on the nights you aren’t there and I don’t like it. I was worried something was wrong.” 

“Oh, love, no,” he said, grabbing her hand. “I’ve missed you, too. You know I hate spending time away from you.” 

She leaned over to kiss him. They started to get slightly carried away, considering they were on a bench in the middle of the busiest section of campus. She broke away reluctantly. “You promise everything is okay? That we’re okay?”

“Macy, we are more than okay,” he said. “You are my everything.” He acted like he wanted to say more, but he quickly pulled away and put some distance between the two. He started to fidget and pulled out his phone. “Oh god, is that the time? I completely forgot one of my grad students wanted to meet about her paper. I have to get back to my office.” 

“But Harry, we’ve only been out here for 15 minutes. I have 45 minutes until I have to be back at work,” she said, confused by his sudden change in demeanor.

“I know, love,” he said, standing up quickly. “Um, I have a meeting this evening, so I won’t be home until late. I’m so sorry. I love you.” He leaned down to give her another quick kiss before practically running away. 

“I love you, too,” she sighed. 

Once Harry was back to the social sciences building, he walked over to Mel’s office, knowing she was in the middle of office hours. “Hey,” he said, hanging his head in shame. “Can I have dinner with you and Niko tonight? I told Macy I have a meeting, but I don’t.”

She glared at him. “Aren’t you supposed to be acting normal around her so she stops freaking out?”

He sighed in frustration. “Yeah, I tried that. And I couldn’t do it. We have a plan. And if I’m around her, I’m going to fuck up that plan. So, can I please just avoid your sister at your place tonight?” 

“You are so lucky I like you, Greenwood,” she said, scowling. “Let me make sure it’s cool with Niko.” 

“Oh, come on,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Niko likes me way more than you do. You know it’s fine with her.” 

And so it went for the rest of the week. He feigned evening meetings and study groups for his undergraduate class exams. Anything that kept him out of the house until just before bedtime. He knew Macy was irritated and confused with his behavior. He couldn’t blame her. He just hoped she wouldn’t break up with him before he could set his plan into motion. 

* * *

As the weekend hit, Macy was starting to give up hope. Her sisters texted her every day that week, checking in on her. Even though they were adamant Harry wasn’t trying to break up with her, she couldn’t think of any other reason for his behavior. Their first anniversary was next Friday and he hadn’t even mentioned plans. 

Saturday morning, she woke up to find his side of the bed empty. He had mentioned the night before he was probably going to spend some of the day in his office, grading papers. She didn’t know why he was spending so much time there. He had always preferred to grade at home, but asking him would have required him to actually be home. 

She walked downstairs to find Maggie and Mel sitting in the living room. “Good, you’re finally up,” Maggie said, jumping up. “Now, get dressed. We have plans.”

“What are you talking about? We don’t have anything planned,” Macy said, confused. “And I’m really not in the mood for anything. I was planning on just spending the day in bed, waiting for the moment when Harry inevitably dumps me.” 

“Who do you think arranged our plans for today?” Maggie said, rolling her eyes. “And again, Harry is not going to dump you. This is for you.” She handed Macy a small notecard. 

_ My darling Macy,  _

_ I know these past few weeks have been difficult. We haven’t seen much of each other and I hate that just as much as you do, I promise you. I miss you every second we aren’t together. You deserve to be pampered this weekend, my love. Your sisters are helping me out with that. Enjoy your time with them. I promise this will all make sense soon. I love you.  _

_ Yours always, Harry _

She looked up at her sisters, confused. “What is all of this?”

“We have a full day of relaxation ahead of us,” Mel said, smiling. “Facials, manicures, pedicures, massages, hairstyling, all set up by Harry. Now, get dressed and let’s go.” 

Macy smiled and went to get dressed, reassured that maybe she had been reading everything wrong. Maybe he really had just been busy. 

After their day out, Mel convinced Maggie and Macy to spend the night at her place. It had been ages since they had a sister sleepover, so they readily agreed. They spent the evening watching romantic comedies and drinking wine. Macy laughed more than she had in weeks.The stress of the past few weeks was washing away with every moment. 

The sisters had their normal weekly brunch the next morning, opting to go out to one of their favorite places downtown. From there, Maggie convinced Macy to go on a small shopping spree, picking out a few different dresses. Maggie also insisted they stop in at Victoria’s Secret, telling Macy she needed to get something for her anniversary weekend. 

* * *

That evening, Macy came back home to find Harry sitting in the living room grading papers. She dropped her bags and went to sit next to him on the couch, wrapping her arms around him and curling her legs underneath her. She rested her head on his shoulder. 

“Did you have a good weekend with your sisters?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her. 

“I did,” she said, smiling at him. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do all that.” 

“I know things have been strained the past few weeks, love,” he said. “I wanted you to have a chance to relax. You deserve it. You work so hard.” 

“Things will get better soon, though, right?” she asked hesitantly. “Because I hate the way things have been the past couple weeks. I hate that I hardly see you. I know you have a heavy load this semester, but you’ve never spent this much time at your office. You always said you hated being there and preferred to work at home unless it was your office hours. I was worried you were trying to find a way to break up with me.” She looked down, her brow furrowed in worry. 

“Oh Macy, no,” he said quickly. “Trust me, that could not be further from the truth.” He opened his mouth to keep speaking and then shut it quickly. “I promise, we just have to make it through this week.” 

“Okay,” she said, smiling shyly. “I trust you.” 

“Besides, you know what Friday is?” he said, smiling brightly. 

“I was so worried you had forgotten when you hadn’t said anything yet,” she sighed.

“Macy,” he said, cradling her face in his hands. “How could I forget our anniversary? That first dinner with you was one of the greatest nights of my life.” 

She beamed at him. “For me, too. So, what do you want to do to celebrate?”

He smiled mischievously. “Oh, I have it all planned. Don’t worry.” 

“So I don’t get any input at all,” she smirked. “What if I had some grand plans for us?”

“Tell you what,” he said. “You let me plan this anniversary. Next year is all yours.” 

“Next year, huh?” she laughed. “Bold of you to assume we’ll make it to year two.” 

“I like our odds,” he said, pulling her onto his lap. “Because I’m not letting go of you any time soon.” 

She leaned in and kissed him deeply. “Then we’re on the same page there,” she said. “Now, there’s only one thing left that could make this a perfectly relaxing weekend.” 

“And what is that,” he said, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

“You and me in our bed. We haven’t gone this long without sex since we started dating,” she said, seriously.

“Well, I did promise you a completely relaxing weekend,” he said, eagerly moving to stand up. She laughed and took his hand, following him up the stairs. They spent the rest of the night making up for the past several weeks. 

The next morning, Macy woke up to find Harry’s side of the bed empty again. Mondays were typically his late day, so she looked around for him. She found a vase of flowers on the dresser with a card propped in front of them. She got up and walked over to read it. She didn’t know when he could have possibly gotten them. He had to have been up at the crack of dawn. 

_ Good morning, my love. I had an early meeting. Good luck with the blood drive today. Promise me you won’t draw blood from any awkwardly endearing professors and fall in love with them. I love you, Harry _

She laughed as she read the note. She didn’t know why she had been so worried. She knew Harry loved her. 

* * *

Unfortunately, their week progressed in much the same way as the past several weeks had gone. Harry was gone first thing in the morning, back just before bedtime. 

Macy was exhausted from working the blood drive with Maggie. There were even more donors this year than last, so her days that week were just a constant stream of dehydrated college students whose veins were impossible to find. 

The blood drive ended on Thursday and Macy was about to lose her mind. Somehow, Maggie had convinced her to stay and help with tear down. After a full day of blood draws, she did not want to help box up supplies and move all the tables back. Maggie had her running back and forth all afternoon. Naturally, all the tables and chairs needed to go into a closet on the opposite end of the building. She loaded everything onto the flatbed cart and looked around.

“Maggie, how am I the only one left doing this?” she asked, irritated.

Maggie grimaced. “I know, I’m sorry. This is the last load of it. You just have to take it over to that closet.”

“Well, could you at least help me?” 

Maggie opened her mouth and looked around. “Um, no, I can’t. Because I have to be here to wait for the blood center van. They still need to pick up the last of the donations. And I can’t leave it unattended. Because someone could taint the blood,” she said, nodding gravely.

“Really? Someone could taint the blood?” 

“Yep, I had to sign a contract saying I wouldn’t leave it unattended, so I have to stay here and you have to take everything over to the other end of the building.”

Macy glared at her. “Just so you know, next year, I’m not on cleanup crew. Don’t you have like an entire group of frat boys at your disposal? Where are they?”

“Um, that’s a good point,” she said, blinking slowly. “And they would normally be here helping, but it’s their Homecoming pancake dinner fundraiser tonight, so they can’t be here.” Her phone chimed and she looked down. “Okay, the sooner you get everything put away, the sooner you get out of here. So, chop chop.” 

Macy seethed as she pushed the cart out of the gym. Maggie followed her over to the door and held it open for her. She watched until Macy made it down the hallway before running back across the gym to the side door, opening it for Mel, Niko, and Harry. 

“Jesus, fucking finally,” Maggie said, helping them in. “Just so you know, Macy’s in a terrible mood today.” 

“Well, she’ll be in a better mood in a few minutes,” Niko said confidently. “How much time do we have?”

“I had her take all the tables and chairs back to the supply closet on the other end of the building, so we’ve got maybe 15-20 minutes,” she said, leading them over to the curtained-off stall she had left set up. 

“Okay, but with two people, it won’t take her that long,” Mel said.

“Oh no, it’s just her,” Maggie nodded.

“Maggie, tell me your way to keep Macy distracted was not to have her do all of the clean up for this entire fucking gym,” she said, glaring at her younger sister. 

“Look, it was maybe not my smartest plan, but it was the only way I could think to buy us the most amount of time." 

“You could have gotten someone to help her and they could have kept her distracted,” Mel said, shaking her head. “Jesus, okay. Harry, you ready for this?” 

He nodded, his face pale with nerves, but a bright smile on his face. “Never been more ready for anything in my life.” 

Maggie went back to the other door to keep an eye out for Macy. The others went to work getting everything ready. Fifteen minutes later, Maggie saw Macy coming back down the hallway. “Time’s up,” she yelled over to them. 

Mel and Niko stepped out of the stall and went to hide in a corner near the lightswitch. 

“Okay, Maggie,” Macy said as she walked back into the gym. “Anything else that needs to be done, you are on your own. Your free labor is exhausted.”

“I know, Mace,” she said. “I have just one more favor to ask. We had one last donor show up.”

She sighed. “You have to be kidding me. Everything is already put away. Tell them they can just go to the blood center to donate.” 

“Oh yeah, I forgot and there’s still one stall set up for donations. I must have missed it. And besides, are you really going to turn away someone? What if they have a super rare blood type that could save someone’s life, huh?” 

“How did you miss an entire stall, Maggie? It’s literally the only thing left in this room. I am not taking it down, just so you know.” 

“I will take care of putting the rest of this away. I just need you to do the needlework,” she said, trying to contain her smile. 

Macy sighed and rolled her neck, trying to loosen up her stiff muscles. As she walked over to the other end of the gym, all the lights in the room went out. 

“Maggie? I’m going to need some light if you want me to stick someone with a needle,” Macy yelled back, irritated. 

A second later, a path of twinkle lights lit up along the floor, leading to the last stall. She could see more lights on the other side of the curtain. 

“Mags?” Macy yelled over her shoulder. “What is this?”

“Just keep walking,” Maggie yelled back. “Stop asking so many questions.” 

Curious, Macy walked closer. As she peered around the curtain, she saw Harry standing there in a charcoal suit. Strings of twinkle lights lined the curtained walls. A half-dozen bouquets of flowers sat in vases on the table next to him. “Hi, love,” he said, walking closer to her.

“Harry?” she said, starting to tear up. “What is all this? What’s going on?” 

He laughed gently and pulled her into the stall. “I believe your sister told you to stop asking questions. It’s my turn for that.” 

He motioned to the chair for her to sit down as he got down on one knee, holding her hand in his. Macy gasped. 

“Macy Vaughn, a year ago, I walked into this room a completely different man. I wasn’t an unhappy person, but I definitely wasn’t happy. I got up every day, taught my classes, went home, and sat alone in my apartment. And then this relentless student went on this diatribe about blood donations and their connection to feminism. Truthfully, it made no sense at all, but I agreed to offer extra credit just to get her to stop talking.” 

They heard a snort from the other side of the curtain, followed by a smack and a distinct “ow.” 

“And then for some completely unknown reason, I walked in here to donate blood, even though I was completely terrified of needles. And I have to believe that I was fated to sit in front of you. Macy, I fell in love with you the second I met you. You were the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. And then you opened your mouth and you had the voice of an angel. You were gentle and funny and I knew I had to keep you in my life somehow. I just didn’t know how to do it.” 

Macy started to cry. “Harry...” she said.

“I’ve been working on this for a while, so just let me get through this,” he said, smiling nervously. She nodded for him to continue. “From the moment I walked away that day, you occupied my every thought. I thought you were destined to stay in my thoughts, just another lost opportunity for true happiness. And then that same relentless student and her older sister interfered, setting me up with the woman of my dreams. As I spent more time with you, the dreams were nothing compared to the reality. You are the most enchanting woman I have ever met. Your brilliance, your kindness, your sense of humor, every day I find a new reason to fall in love with you.” 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box, opening it to reveal a vintage, 5-stone diamond ring. Tears started to fall down her face. “Macy Vaughn, I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life falling in love with you. Will you marry me?” 

She nodded profusely, unable to make any sound beyond her choked sobs of joy. “Harry, of course I’ll marry you,” she finally said. 

“Yes?” he asked, wanting to double check. 

“Yes,” she said, smiling. She put her hand out for him to slip on the ring. She pulled him up and they stood there, kissing each other as if they were dependent on the other to survive.

“Can we come out now?” Maggie yelled from the other side of the curtain. 

The couple broke apart. Macy laughed. “Yes, of course.” 

Maggie and Mel opened the curtain and nearly tackled the couple in a hug.  “You’re getting married,” Maggie squealed. 

“We’re getting married,” Macy said, beaming at Harry. 

“Okay, now let me see the ring because Harry wouldn’t let either of us see it,” Maggie said, grabbing for her sister’s hand. She studied the ring carefully before glaring at Harry. “Okay, fine. Maybe you didn’t need my help picking this out because it’s fucking gorgeous.” 

He laughed. “It was my grandma Willa’s ring,” he said, putting his arms around Macy. “She always told me that she was holding on to it for when I found the woman I wanted to marry. I asked her for it last Christmas.” 

“Wait, seriously?” Macy gasped. "That long ago?" 

“She wouldn't give it to me then. Said she needed to meet this woman and give her approval first. Hence our trip over the summer. Honestly, by then, I had told her so much about you that she said she was going to give it to me no matter what. I got it resized after we came back and got it back from the jeweler about 3 weeks ago,” he said. 

“Omigod, that’s why you were being so weird these last couple weeks?” she realized.

He nodded. “I didn’t ask Maggie and Mel for their permission to propose, but I asked for their blessing and their help. They helped me plan out all of this, but I kept almost fucking it up,” he laughed. 

“How?” she asked, confused.

“Once I knew I had the ring, every time I looked at you, all I wanted to do was propose. But we had this all planned out, so I just kept trying to hold off until now. I almost blew it the day I brought you lunch and then again this weekend at home. After that, I just tried to keep my distance until today. I’m so sorry I made you doubt anything. I just wanted this to be perfect.”

“So, all those evening meetings and study groups?” she asked, confused.

“He’s basically been hiding out at our place every evening the past two weeks,” Mel said, rolling her eyes. 

Macy laughed. “I would be mad if this all weren’t so perfect.” She leaned in to kiss her fiance, both of them quickly forgetting their audience and deepening the kiss.

“Okay, Mel and I both know where this is going, so take your horny, engaged selves home where no one will walk in on you,” Maggie said. “We’ll clean everything up and bring you your flowers tomorrow.” 

The couple laughed. Macy grabbed her sisters in a hug. “Thank you,” she said through happy tears. “For all your meddling last year and all your help with this.” 

“Anything for you, sis,” Maggie said. 

“Yeah, we love you,” Mel added. 

“And we finally get the brother we always wanted,” Maggie said, going over to give Harry a hug. 

“I never wanted a brother,” Mel corrected. “But we’ll take you, Greenwood.” 

The newly engaged couple went home and spent the night celebrating their engagement. A few times.

Macy held up her end of her agreement with Harry and planned the activities for their second anniversary, which became their wedding day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Macy's engagement ring: https://www.etsy.com/listing/867552448/1950s-illusion-set-diamond-5-stone-14k?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=1950s+engagement+ring&ref=sr_gallery-1-3&pro=1&frs=1
> 
> Last week, my Spotify Discover Weekly included the songs "Marry Me" by Betty Who, "Dressed Up In White" by CAL, and "Let's Get Married' by Bleachers. Then the week ended with my best friend getting engaged, so all of that spurned this final chapter. 
> 
> A massive thank you to everyone who has read, commented, left kudos, subscribed, and bookmarked. While this is the end for this fic, I'm eight chapters into my season two rewrite "I hope I never lose you, hope it never ends", so please check that out if you haven't yet. I also have another fluffy AU rom com that I'm plotting right now. I'm hoping to start writing that one in the next couple weeks.


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